The reverse-chronological resume is the default for a reason: it answers the first three questions every reviewer has — what do you do, where did you do it last, and what happened because you were there. Use this format whenever your recent experience points at the job you want. If you are changing fields, use a skills-based format instead.

Section order

1. Header — name, target title, city and country, email, phone, one profile link. Nothing else. No photo, no full street address, no date of birth.
2. Summary — two or three lines, written last.
3. Experience — reverse-chronological, three to five bullets per recent role, fewer as you go back.
4. Skills — a short grouped list, not a paragraph.
5. Education and certifications — brief, at the bottom once you have two or more years of experience.

The fill-in skeleton

{{Full name}} {{Target title}} · {{City, Country}} · {{Email}} · {{Phone}} · {{Profile or portfolio link}}

Summary: {{Role identity}} with {{Years}} years building {{What you build or improve}} for {{Type of company or industry}}. Known for {{Signature strength}} — most recently {{One concrete, measurable win}}.

{{Job title}} — {{Company descriptor, e.g. B2B logistics startup, 120 people}} · {{Start month/year}}–{{End month/year or Present}}

• {{Impact bullet 1}}
• {{Impact bullet 2}}
• {{Impact bullet 3}}

Repeat the block for each role. For jobs older than ten years, one line with title, company type, and dates is enough.

The impact-bullet formula

Every bullet should follow one pattern: strong verb + what you did + how + measurable outcome. If you cannot quantify the outcome, quantify the scope (users, budget, team size, frequency).

Rules that keep it readable

• One page per decade of experience — most people need one page; senior profiles may need two.
• Start every bullet with a different verb. Repeating led, led, led reads flat; vary with built, launched, negotiated, redesigned, automated.
• Numbers beat adjectives. Delete significantly, successfully, and various — replace each with a figure or cut the word.
• Tense discipline: present tense for your current role, past tense for everything else.
• No first person. Bullets drop the I; summaries can too.

Write the summary last

After the bullets exist, pick your two strongest and compress them into the summary. A good test: could this paragraph describe anyone else on the shortlist? If yes, it is too generic — add the number or the niche that makes it yours.

Final pass checklist

• Dates align and have no unexplained overlaps.
• Every bullet has a verb, a scope, and ideally a number.
• The target title in your header matches the job you are applying to.
• File name is {{Your name}} — {{Target title}}.pdf, exported as PDF.
• Someone else read it for typos — your eyes will skip your own.